Teaching students about plagiarism

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Teaching students about plagiarism
Maureen Dawson, Centre for Learning and
Teaching Joyce Overfield, School of Biology,
Chemistry and Health Science Manchester
Metropolitan University
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Student perceptions of plagiarism

• Study funded by LTSN Bioscience
• Aims
• To determine what students believe
• constitutes plagiarism
• To produce guidelines for students

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What we did

• Devised multiple choice questions (3)
• Case scenarios (6)
• Level 1 students during induction (105)
• Foundation (44)
• Levels 2 and 3 (volunteers 28)
• Staff (not many!)
• Analysed results produced guidelines based on
  questionnaire.

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Question 1 What is plagiarism?
1. Plagiarism is a) Using someone elses words
as if they were your own b) Using someone elses
ideas as if they were your own c) Using someone
elses results as if they were your own d)
Sharing work with someone else and pooling
ideas e) Getting your ideas from a text book
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From guidelines

• Plagiarism has been defined in many ways, however
  the definition that we find most useful is that
  of Carroll (2002), which states that
• Plagiarism is defined as passing off someone
  elses work, whether intentionally or
  unintentionally, as your own for your own
  benefits (Carroll, 2002).
• This means that plagiarism includes
• using someone elses words and/or ideas as if
  they were your own,
• using someone elses results as if they were your
  own,
• copying chunks from textbooks without stating
  where the material came from and without any
  contribution of your own.
• Sharing work with someone else and pooling ideas
  is not plagiarism as long as the work you produce
  acknowledges the contribution from each of you.
  In fact, on your course you will be encouraged to
  work in groups on numerous occasions to share
  ideas and information.

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Question 2 Why is plagiarism morally wrong?
a) You may get caught and lose marks b) It is
dishonest c) Assignments that are plagiarised
fail to demonstrate your knowledge of the work d)
You dont learn anything by copying someone
elses work e) It steals other peoples ideas
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From guidelines

• Plagiarism is morally wrong because it is
  dishonest and steals other peoples ideas. Apart
  from that if you plagiarise your assignments you
  will not be demonstrating to your tutors your own
  knowledge and you will not learn anything at all
  by copying someone elses work.

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Question 3 You may be accused of collusion if
you
a) Submit an assignment produced as a joint
effort, under your name only b) Copy a completed
assignment that your friend has emailed to you c)
Work in a group as instructed to produce a poster
as a joint effort d) Lend a completed assignment
to a friend, who then copies any part of it e)
Pass off someone elses work as your own, for
your own benefit
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From guidelines

• Collusion occurs when students work together on
  an assignment but each student submits the
  assignment as if it were all their own work. For
  example if two of you work together on a
  laboratory exercise and have one set of results,
  you must then write and submit the report
  individually. If students submit very similar
  reports and it is clear that they have worked
  together they will be found guilty of collusion
  and penalised accordingly
• Working collaboratively, when instructed to do
  so, is not collusion. An example might be when
  you are instructed to work in a group to produce
  a poster.
• You should never lend or email an assignment to a
  fellow student because you will be accused of
  collusion and /or plagiarism if they copy any
  part of it, even though you have done all the
  work.

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Scenario One

1. Scenario one shows a paragraph from a textbook
   and specimen of work produced by students A,
   B and C
2. Student A had copied wholesale without
   acknowledgement B had copied but acknowledged
   source (no quotes to indicate how much), C had
   acknowledged and re-worded used quotes when
   needed.
3. When asked if the students were guilty of
   plagiarism

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Percentage of students responding yes
Case response Foundation (n44) Level 1 (n105)
1 Student A was guilty of plagiarism 77.3 86.7
Student B was guilty of plagiarism 29.5 36.2
Student C was guilty of plagiarism 15.9 12.4
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From guidelines

• Student A is guilty of plagiarism because they
  have directly copied a number of statements from
  the book without stating the source of the
  information. Even if they did state the source of
  the information they would still be guilty of
  plagiarism because the text is copied word for
  word and is not within quotation marks.
• Student B is also guilty of plagiarism even
  though they have cited the source. There is no
  indication of the extent of copying from the book
  and no attempt to discuss the information in
  their own words.
• The example from Student C is not plagiarism
  because they have used quotation marks to show
  how much has been taken from the book. Some
  students submit assignments which consist of a
  series of quotations where the source has been
  cited. Technically this is not plagiarism but is
  poor practice and will not get good marks.

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Scenario 2

• Copying sentences/phrases from textbooks
• Students D and E both copied segments- E
  word-for-word, D less so
• Student F had re-worded
• No acknowledgement seen

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Percentage of students responding yes
Case response Foundation (n44) Level 1 (n105)
2 Student D was guilty of plagiarism 25 38.1
Student E was guilty of plagiarism 59.1 93.3
Student F was guilty of plagiarism 13.6 4.8
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From guidelines

• Student D has attempted to paraphrase the
  information from the textbook, however they
  should still cite the source of the information
  as it is sufficiently similar to the book.
• Student E is guilty of plagiarism because they
  have copied word for word. To avoid charges of
  plagiarism both students should cite the source
  of the information.
• Student F has attempted to explain the
  information in their own words and is not guilty
  of plagiarism. They would be expected to quote
  any sources they have used in a bibliography.

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Scenario 3

• Referencing of sources and electronic detection
  of plagiarism
• Student GThis essay was found to be downloaded
  entirely from a single website which was not
  referenced. The student had listed 12 other
  references including books, journals and Internet
  sources.
• Student H This essay was found to have been
  downloaded entirely from 3 Internet sources all
  of which were referenced.
• Student I This essay listed 12 references from
  books, journals and Internet sources. Electronic
  detection of plagiarism revealed that the
  Internet sources listed had been used correctly.

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Percentage of students responding yes
Case response Foundation (n44) Level 1 (n105)
3 Student G was guilty of plagiarism 79.5 95.2
Student H was guilty of plagiarism 31.8 54.3
Student I was guilty of plagiarism 6.8 3.8
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From guidelines

• Student G is definitely guilty of plagiarism as
  the entire essay has been written by someone
  else. In addition, the listing of 12 other
  references which were not used is a clear attempt
  to deceive.
• Student H is also guilty of plagiarism since none
  of the essay was their own work even though three
  internet sources were given. It is not acceptable
  to submit an essay which has been entirely or
  even partly copied in this way.
• Student I is not guilty of plagiarism because
  they have referenced their sources correctly. To
  avoid a charge of plagiarism (and because it is
  good academic practice) you should reference web
  sources in the same way as you would a textbook.
  

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Scenario 4

• The deadline for handing in a practical is Monday
  30th September. You have completed your report by
  the 28th. Your friend, who partnered you in the
  practical class, calls round on Sunday evening-
  he has just remembered the deadline and is
  panicking because he has lost the results. You
  agree to lend him your practical report. Without
  your knowing, your friend copies the whole report
  and hands it in the following day. The tutor
  notices that the two pieces of work are
  identical, he speaks to both of you about it.
  Your friend denies copying your work.
• Questions please circle any statements which you
  think are correct
• a) Your friend is guilty of plagiarism
• b) You are guilty of aiding plagiarism
• c) Copying the work was reasonable, since you had
  both worked together in class
• d) Your friend will be subjected to a
  disciplinary procedure
• e) You will be subjected to a disciplinary
  procedure

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Percentage of students responding yes
Case response Foundation (n44) Level 1 (n105)
4 Your friend is guilty of plagiarism 77.3 96.2
You are guilty of aiding plagiarism 25 40
Copying the work was reasonable (you had both worked together in class) 9.1 1.9
Your friend will be subject to a disciplinary procedure 61.4 91.4
You will be subject to a disciplinary procedure 34.1 65.7
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From guidelines

• Both of you will be accused of plagiarism and/or
  collusion. Your tutor will not know whether one
  of you has copied from the other (plagiarism) or
  whether you have worked together and produced
  identical reports. For this reason you will both
  be penalised and may both be subjected to a
  disciplinary procedure. In actual fact, your
  friend is guilty of plagiarism whilst you are
  guilty of aiding plagiarism. You should never
  allow a fellow student to copy your work even if
  you have carried out a laboratory exercise
  together.

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Scenario 5

• Student J has produced an essay on nuclear pores.
  He has read the appropriate literature and
  written the essay, giving references to the
  literature where necessary. He has obtained a
  picture, with written title and legend, of
  nuclear pores from an internet website and has
  downloaded it entirely into his essay. In which
  of the following cases would this student be
  guilty of plagiarism?
• a) He has cited the web reference in the
  reference list at the end of the essay
• b) He has cited the web reference on the figure
  itself and in the reference list
• c) He has cited the web reference in both places
  and has re-written the legend.
• d) He has made no reference to where he obtained
  the figure

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Percentage of students responding yes
Case Response Guilty of plagiarism if.. Foundation (n44) Level 1 (n105)
5 He cited the web reference at the end of the essay 15.9 22.9
Cited the web reference on the figure itself and at the end of the essay 15.9 7.6
Cited the web reference in both places and has re-written the legend 9.1 7.6
He made no reference to where he obtained the figure 72.7 93.3
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From guidelines

• If you download a figure from an internet
  website, or even photocopy a figure from a book,
  you must reference the source of the figure to
  avoid being accused of plagiarism. The best
  practice is to cite the reference on the figure
  itself and in the reference list, including the
  date it was accessed. You should always write a
  legend which is appropriate to the figure as used
  in your essay.

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Scenario 6

• A group of students have been given an essay
  title The use of spectrophotometry in the
  biosciences. They have been told to research
  their essay, and that they will write the essay
  under examination conditions during a lecture
  period. Two students, K and L, have decided to
  work together to research different aspects of
  the subject. They get together to share what they
  have found. They then sit down and write an essay
  together which they memorise. The essays which
  they write in class are almost identical (with
  around 80 of the sentences and phrases being
  word-for-word). At what stage do you think the
  students are guilty of collusion?
• a) When they decide to work together?
• b) When they share the results of their research?
• c) When they write the essay together?
• d) When they memorise the essay?
• e) When they write the essay in class?

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When are they guilty of collusion?
Case Response Guilty of plagiarism when they Level 3 (n44) Level 4 (n105)
6 Decide to work together 11.4 8.6
Share the results of their research 15.9 24.8
Write the essay together 45.5 75.2
Memorise the essay 40.9 41.9
Write the essay in class 22.7 31.4
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Advantages of using scenarios

• Based on real cases
• Can be adapted to different groups eg
• Postgraduates
• Overseas students
• Can add/change scenarios as student perceptions
  change

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What we do now

• Continue to use the questionnaire in induction
• to raise awareness of good/bad practice
• to monitor any changes in student perceptions
• Use on-line version on VLE for instant feedback
  to students

http//www.webct.mmu.ac.uk/webct/entryPageIns.dowe
bct
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Acknowledgements

• We thank
• LTSN Bioscience for support
• Trudie Roberts (Leeds) and Carol Philips
  (Northampton) who commented on the questionnaire
  and the guidelines.